I eye bands that center their name around a flashy guitarists with an eye of skepticism. Often we're seeing the offshoot of another band that saw varying degrees of success. For whatever reason, be it internal difficulties, egos, etc, it's nearly always the guitarist. LYNCH MOB, FREHLEY's COMET all come to mind, and as such, here we have, DENNER's INFERNO and their Mighty Music release, "In Amber". For those not in the know, Denner was also guitarist for MERCYFUL FATE's first five albums, as well as KING DIAMOND's first pair of releases.

DENNER'S INFERNO rose from the cold ashes of guitarist Michael Denner's former band, TRICKBAG, a seventies Prog/Hardrock outfit. With this new endeavor, Denner sought to update things into a more current approach. With a new lineup and sound, Denner has returned to a more base 70's Hard Rock vibe, that he admits is more in line with his own personal tastes.  There's still an element of Prog here and there, as well as a Doomish vibe. It's definitely a more direct route to the base of songs, with the occasional flair and flash.

On "In Amber", Denner is joined by the rhythm section of Flemming Muus and Bjarne Holm (another MERCYFUL FATE veteran) on bass and drums respectively. And New Yorker, Chandler Mogel on vocals. The result is 10 songs clocking in at 43 minutes with a plethora of guitar fireworks, and a solid support system surrounding  Denner while he shreds. Shred he does. There are times where it's more understated, album opener, "Matriarch" for example. Other times, it seems the rest of the song is simply a vehicle to arrive at Denner's playing, "Up And On", and "Run For Cover" for example.

Perhaps unable to put old habits behind him , Denner's intro into "Pearls On A String" showcases the technical prowess associated with Prog that continues into the song with it's odd yet effective time signatures. The best of example of the Doom vibe comes with the first single, "Fountains Of Grace", while "Loser" capitalizes 100% on that classic radio 70's vibe. There's even a BEATLES connection with "Taxman (mr Thief)".Overall, for a band centered around and named after a guitarist, DENNER's INFERNO has put together a solid and fun album. It's not one that I'll personally return to, but I'm really glad I gave it a chance.